Chapter Twenty-Two: Bard, Passage and Alfred

Amara's POV

After a while, the current had become more mellow and we were a great distance away from Mirkwood, I looked around at the others in their barrels as they were all paddeling down with the water's soft current.

"Anything behind us?" Thorin cried out as he turned to look behind him at the other dwarves and one hobbit floating behind him.

"Not that I can see." Balin cried out from the very back of the group,

"I think we've outrun the orcs." Bofur said after popping up and spitting out the river water, I had to hold it in on how much like a drowned rat in a stupid hat he looked like.

"Not for long. We've lost the current." Thorin cried out as he began paddeling with a wooden branch that he picked up. "Make for the shore!" He called out to the others, I could see many of the Dwarves were struggling to do that and decided to help with my magic.

"I got you guys." I said as I cast my magic to guide them all safely to the shore, there I also helped many of the others out of their barrels and set foot on the rocky shore. I turned to see Kili groan in pain as he fell to his knees. "Kili." I cried as I raced over to him to see the wound on his leg.

"I'm fine. It's nothing." He said as he tried to remove the arrowhead from the wound before I stopped him.

"No, you're not, that was an orc arrow." I said as I looked over the wound before Thorin reached us both.

"Amara, how bad is it?" Thorin asked turning to me looking worried for his younger nephew, while Fili look to his brother with equal concern.

"The arrowhead was laced with poison, I need to heal him now before it has a chance to spread to the rest of his body." I explained, I could see the worry in Thorin's eyes as he knew all too well how fast orc poisons spread through the blood and how painful it is.

"Make it quick, you have two minutes." Thorin said as he stood and walked off to check on everyone else. As much as I tried to heal Kili's leg, the poison was something I wasn't familiar with so I didn't know how much healing magic it required or if my healing magic was the right kind of healing that could cure it.

Then suddenly a slight sound caught everyone's attention as we all turned to see a human man holding a bow, Dwalin stood in front of Ori, protecting him from the human but was met with an arrow embedded in the branch that he held for a weapon. The man then turned to the rest of us as Kili held up a rock and was about to throw it at him before it was shot out of his hand by the man's arrow.

"Do it again, and you're dead." He said as he turned to the others, I recognized the voice that man spoke with. It was Bard, the bowman from Lake-town and the descendant of Girion of Dale.

I turned to see Balin had noticed something around the rocky corner before he then stood and spoke.

"Excuse me, but you're from Lake-town, if I'm not mistaken." He said in a calm and polite manner as he slowly took a few steps forward. "That barge over there... it wouldn't be available for hire, by any chance?" I looked up to see that Bard realised that his barge was noticed.

000

We gathered by the dock as Bard then started loading the empty barrels on his ship one-by-one.

"What makes you think I would help you?" Bard asked as he looked at all of us with caution, not that I blame him, living under the 'leadership'of the master of Lake-town.

"Those boots have seen better days. As has that coat." Balin pointed out. "No doubt you have some hungry mouths to feed." He said with a chuckle before asking: "How many bairns?"

Bard look up at him before answering, "A boy and two girls." I smiled as I thought back on the memory of seeing his children on the big screen for the first time, Sigrid a beauty while Tilda the adorable little angel and Bain the heroic lad who adored and worshiped his father.

"And your wife, I imagine she's a beauty." Balin said casually, I tensed up as I looked over at Bard who had his back to us but I could tell that he was mourning the memory of his late wife.

"Aye, she was." He said sorrowfully.

Balin then realised what he just did and looked down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-" He began before Dwalin then interrupted him.

"Come on, come on. Enough with the niceties."

I turned to see Bard look over at Dwalin who stood next to Thorin and I before asking in a curious tone. "What's your hurry?"

"What's it to you?" Dwalin retorted in a snide tone.

"I would like to know who you are, and what you are doing in these lands." Bard said as he stepped up to Balin and leaned over a stone pillar.

"We are simple merchants from the Blue Mountains journeying to see our kin in the Iron Hills." Balin said, with all of us knowing it was a lie but also knew that anyone who knew the truth would never think to help us.

"Simple Merchants, you say?" Bard asked as he clearly didn't believe us, seeing no packs or merchandise with us.

Thorin then stepped up and spoke. "We need food, supplies, weapons. Can you help us?" He asked looking at the bargeman, knowing who he was and who his ancestor was too.

We all watched as Bard looked down at the barrels and then traced some of the holes in the rims of one barrels that showed it had been through something. "I know where these barrels came from." He said casually.

"What of it?" Thorin asked with caution.

"I don't know what business you had with the elves, but I don't think it ended well." Bard said with a very faint humour in his tone, 'Given the fact that Thranduil's a selfish asshole with a large stag antler shove up his ass, yeah that's no surprise.' I thought to myself as Bard look over all of us before continuing.

"No one enters Lake-town but by leave of the Master." He said as he untied the ropes on one end of the ship. "All his wealth comes from trade with the woodland realms. He would see you in irons before risking the wrath of King Thranduil." He then threw the ropes at Balin who then turned to look at Thorin.

I then stepped forward and placed my hand on Thorin's shoulder, causing him to turn to look at me. "I'll take care of this, mi amor." I said before walking up to the ship. "I'd wager that there are ways to slip into Lake-town unseen." I said as Bard looked me over, curious as to why a woman was in the company of male dwarves.

"Aye." Bard said and he carried his bow and quiver of arrows the other end of the ship, and placed them down. "But for that, you'll need a smuggler." He leaned down and was about to begin untying the last rope that held his ship to the stone docks.

"For which I will pay you four times the amount of a normal smuggler. That is surely enough to keep both you and all three of your children well-fed until next summer." I said this caught the attention of the bargeman, I then summoned a pouch of coins and held it out to Bard as he looked at me with an awed look at seeing my magic. "I'll even pay half now and the other half once we are in a safe place in Lake-town. And don't worry about hiding us, I'll take care of that." Holding the bag out to him, he looked at me cautiously before turning to the dwarves and after a few minutes turned back to me and nodded.

"Deal." He said, I handed him the bag and turned back to the other and motioned for them to get on the boat. They all looked to me with happy faces before getting on board, Thorin walked up to me and pulled me into an embrace as he looked at me with loving eyes.

I embraced him back before casting a spell on all the company, one that would dry their clothes and keep them warm from the cold, which they all were grateful for. I turned to see Bard steering the ship as we sailed slowly across the water as a thick mist began to shroud over the surface of the lake, clouding the air so that we couldn't see ahead.

We sailed for maybe 45 minutes, I looked over at the others and explained the plan to all of them and the spell that I planned to use, Thorin held me in his arms and none of the others were bothered by it as they had wholeheartedly accepted Thorin's choice to court me. I turned to see Bilbo speaking with Bard for a bit before returning to the group, looking a bit miserable at the cold but didn't feel it dur to my warming spell.

"Watch out!" Bofur cried out as the sight of old ruins appeared from the mist, Bard steered us clear from hitting them with ease, which I was not surprised as I knew he had been doing this for years.

"What are you trying to do, drown us?" Thorin asked as he glared at Bard.

"I was born and bred on these waters, Master Dwarf. If I wanted to drown you, I would not do it here." Bard said as he went back to steering the boat, I looked up at Thorin as he looked down at me, I mouthed 'talk later' as Dwalin's voice reach our ears.

"Oh, I've had enough of this lippy Lakeman." He muttered before turning to look at us all then turned back to glare at Bard. "I say we throw him over the side and be done with it."

Bilbo Sighed before stating. "Bard, his name's Bard."

"How do you know?" Bofur asked the hobbit curiously.

"Ah, I asked him." Bilbo stated calmly and casually as if it was a simple thing, which it was.

"I don't care what he calls himself. I don't like him." Dwalin said snippily.

"We don't have to like him, Dwalin. We just have to pay him. Which, by the way, I have in hand. So relax." I said as I then looked up as the mist was beginning to break and saw a sight that I knew the dwarves would be in awe of. "Guys, look." I said as I pointed to the direction of a gap in the mist which revealed the outline of the Lonely Mountian just beyond the ruins.

The dwarves all slowly stood up on their feets as they turned to look upon the outline of their long-lost home just beyond the ruins in the lake, closer than ever before and just as awe-inspiring.

That is until Bard made his way over to us all.

"We're getting close to Lake-town, get in the barrels. Quick." He said as he look forward, all the dwarves turned to see outline of the shoddy town on the lake appear in veiw, they all began to climb into their barrels as the mist started to clear more and more. "You too, lass." Bard said as he turned to me.

"I'm way ahead of you, Master Bard." I said as I turned to the others. "Ok guys, I'm going to cast my spell now, but remember, the spell prevents us from being seen, not heard. So you all will need to be quiet, no matter what you hear." With their final nods, I cast a spell of invisibility over the dwarves and hobbit as they were in their barrels. One look inside and no one would see anything, I then cast the spell on myself that turned me invisible too.

"Where did you go? Lass?" Bard asked looking around in shock.

"I'm standing next to you." I said in a hushed tone as I place a hand gently on his shoulder, which startled him for a second but he then regained his composure. "Just continue towards the gate." I said as Bard did as I instructed, passing the many fishermen boats that were docked outside the gates.

Slowly, Bard sailed the boat up to the tollgate. "Stay calm, Bard. Just go about your business like nothing is wrong." I said gently as I could see the slight glint of worry in his face. But he relaxed at my words and as we reached the gate the voice of the guard then called out:

"Hold! Goods inspection! Papers, please!" Stepping out from the small stand with a lit lantern in hand, "Oh. it's you, Bard." His face lit up a little at the sight of a friend.

"Morning, Percy." Bard greeted him casually.

"Anything to declare?" The toll guard, Percy asked, just as casually.

"Nothing, but that I am cold and tired and ready for home." Bard said as he stepped down from the steering platform and handed his papers to Percy.

"You and me both." Percy said as he took the papers and went back into his little corner to stamp the papers, "There we are. All in order." He said as he turned back and was about to hand them back to Bard before another hand took them from him.

"Not so fast." I looked over and groaned in silent disgust, 'Oh goodie, it's Lake-town's resident snivilling weasel and the Master's boot-licking crony, Alfred.' I thought as I watched the weasel of a man wearing all black looked over the papers that Bard had as a guard stood behind him. "Consignment of empty barrels from the Woodland realms." He looked at Bard with a snide smirk and then looked over at the barrels as if looking to find a reason to mess with Bard.

"Only they seemed to be in rather poor shape, aren't they Bard?" He asked as he stepped forward and on to the boat, I knew that this wasn't part of the original story but I had to find a way to get Alfred to leave with the guards.

I casted a small mind altering spell which made Alfred realise that he had no chance of out thinking Bard, and had him allow the gates to be raised.

"Raise the gate!" Percy called out, as Alfred began to walk off but then turned and snarled back at Bard.

"The master has his eye on you. You do well to remember: We know where you live."

"It's a small town, Alfred. Everyone knows where everyone lives." Bard said with a shrug as he sailed his boat into the town, I looked back as Alfred was about to walk away only to be hit in the head with an egg that was thrown by a pair of women nearby. 'Direct hit.' I thought as I then turned around and looked upon the town.